Stacy
Hutto
Managing editor
To some commuters, the term “spring cleaning” takes on a whole different meaning. Walking through a parking lot, it is usually pretty easy to spot the commuter, whether they are commuting to college, a job or both.
These are the cars that used to be four passenger cars, but due to debris are now limited to two passenger cars unless someone braves the mountain of cans, clothes and trash that fills the backseat.
I used to be one of these commuters. Between my friends there was always a fight for the front seat due to the mountain of cans and fast food debris piled in the backseat. Since I drive a Suburban, it was worse than your average car.
The third seat had become my “clothes closet.” I can thank the Oklahoma weather for that one. Where else are layers your friend, where you start off wearing a long sleeve shirt then by noon are down to a short sleeve shirt? When the long sleeves come off, the best place to throw it is in that third seat.
One friend, half serious, half joking, tells me variations of “you have enough cans back here to get rich from recycling.” Of course, what was actually said really isn’t fit for print.
There was so much stuff in my back seat people would complain of being assaulted by it.
I think many commuters can agree when you are in your car more than you are in your home, things can pile up rather quickly. It makes me wonder how many students clean out their vehicles and find papers and books from previous semesters. I know when I finally shoveled mine out I found a textbook from a previous semester that had been carelessly thrown in the back the day of finals.
If you are a commuter and have a family, the junk piles up even quicker. Children can be a destructive force and leave a landfill in their wake. When you finally get around to cleaning out the junk in your trunk and various backseats, it’s amazing the kind of debris you find.
In some cases, depending on how long it’s been since trash bag has met vehicle, it can be an archeology dig. “Oh look, here’s Cheerios little Jimmy spilled when he was a baby. Here are toys from toddlerhood.”
Coming across the packaging from that toy he just had to have (and open the minute he got in the car) to the cellophane from video games can show how your child’s interests have changed.
When my Suburban finally got shoveled out. The damage was bad. One and a half 30 gallon trash bags full of trash and two bags of clothes later, I can finally see the carpet. My friends are no longer afraid of the backseat. I can actually use the third seat now. After spending two hours cleaning out the debris that piled up over the previous semester, I have vowed to keep the junk out of my trunk and assorted other places.
For commuters facing the same scary situation, there is hope. Whether you have a small mountain or Everest, it is possible to see the carpet again.
When you bite the bullet and tackle the seemingly impossible, remember car washes are your friends. I recommend passing by the puny trash barrels and heading straight for the dumpster.
Bringing your own trash bags is also a plus. That way others cannot see just how much you have living in your vehicle, and they are great for assorted clothing items that have to be washed.
Once all the debris have been bagged up, the huge vacuums are great for getting out all the dirt, grass and things too small to be picked up.
Just be aware of where you point the hose. Sadly I didn’t pay attention and my dog’s spare leash became a vacuum victim, never to be seen again.
Now, to avoid the harassment of friends and family, trash cans have become my best friend. The cans of various drinks that keep me awake actually make it in the trash bag that hangs from the back of my passenger seat. My children are under orders to throw their wrappers and other things away. When that gets full, the shocker is I actually empty it.
I’m sure people who were witness to the overabundance of assorted fast food bags, soda bottles and cans of Starbucks Doubleshot Mocha in my truck are already taking bets on how long it will last. I plan on having the last laugh, and no more junk in the trunk.